Choices and Heroics
by wordybee
Summary: What if Annie had made it to the end in Modern Warfare?


**A/N: **_I wrote this after Modern Warfare for the Livejournal Milady/Milord Community... Community. Awkward phrasing, amiright? Anyways, I decided to put it up on Fanfiction along with some other fics._

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_"Hit me with your best shot!"_

"Oh, brother!" Jeff heard. He turned as Annie started to stand, her disgust at the cheap ploy (and poor song arrangement) clouding her judgment. "That is so—"

"Annie, get _down!_" he shouted, and Annie instinctively fell back to the pavement as multicolored paintballs zipped overhead, exploding harmlessly against the library steps. She glanced back at Jeff, her expression a mixture of relief and gratitude, and he nodded stiffly in response. Between them, Britta gave Jeff a curious look that went unnoticed before turning her mind back on the dire circumstances at hand. It seemed like the Glee Club – though no one on the team would fall for the singing trick again – had the Study Group cornered. They had no idea where the shots were coming from, and couldn't risk vulnerability for reconnaissance.

"What do we do?" Britta asked.

Jeff drew in a deep breath, assessing the situation quickly. Somehow, though they hadn't formally decided on it, Jeff had become the leader of the group and they were all looking to him for orders. "I've got a plan," he said. "Get ready."

Abed, Britta, and Annie all went on the alert. Shirley and Pierce stayed low. Expectantly, Jeff called out:

"Hey Pierce! Don't come over here, okay?"

As predictable as ever, Pierce replied with a "Screw you, I'm coming over there!" and began to crawl toward the Jeff. He was instantly pelted with paints, giving away the position of the crafty Glee Club.

"In the trees!" Jeff yelled, and the team began fire. The Glee Club didn't stand a chance, as they fell one by one from the branches. Well, except the last one – Abed had to give him a little more incentive to make that singing birdie fall. Jeff sighed, relishing in the sudden victory without the loss of… _significant_ life.

"Write some original songs!" he yelled, smirking. The inquisitive look at Jeff from Britta came back, but once again it remained unseen as the others moved cautiously into the open. Before he could move, however, Britta pulled Jeff away from the others. She looked at him sharply, her voice an angry whisper.

"What are you planning?"

Jeff blinked, shaking his head in confusion. "I'm not planning anything. What're you talking about?"

Britta's glare doubled in strength. "You saved Annie. You could've let her go down, one less person to deal with, but you warned her. You're up to something, what is it?"

"Nothing, Britta. It was…" Jeff thought a moment. "It was just a reflex, that's all. I'm not planning anything. This whole thing is too insane for me to have _plans_."

Britta leaned closer, her irritation practically radiating from her. She didn't seem to be listening to Jeff's excuses, though, as she said, "You sacrificed Pierce, so it's not like you're trying to keep the group together."

Rolling his eyes, Jeff struggled to keep his voice low. "Pierce is _Pierce_. I needed to draw out their fire, and he's acceptable cannon fodder."

She jabbed at his chest, sneaking glances around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation before continuing in quick, hushed tones, "I think you're thinking this through better than you're letting on. I think you've picked Annie because she's a competent enough fighter but she's also the least risk to you when the end comes, so she'll be easier to shoot in the back and bring about your victory."

"You know, Britta, for someone so bent on being good and helpful, you sure are cynical."

Jeff smirked. Britta remained displeased.

"You're telling me that's not what's going on?"

Jeff's eyes flicked over to Annie, who was scouting the bushes for more enemies. He knew he probably wouldn't have said a word if it'd been Shirley who had stood up, or even Abed (though Abed, Jeff knew, was about as likely to fall for the Glee Club singing as Jeff himself was). Whether he would've saved Britta or not was really up in the air, though their bickering recently made him think not. He'd purposely sacrificed Pierce, so obviously he wouldn't have saved _him_ if given the chance. Why had he felt the need to save Annie, when they would all probably get picked off anyways? He watched her thoughtfully for a moment longer before turning back to Britta.

"It was just a reflex," he said. "I would've done the same for anyone at the time. I have no ulterior motive."

The blonde woman was obviously unconvinced, but she didn't stop him as Jeff moved away. He motioned for the other members of the team to follow him to the cafeteria, where they could find some shelter and maybe some food for the night. It seemed like they were in it for the long haul.

* * *

Jeff didn't know who set the barrel on fire, but since they used it to cook the sausage links they found in the kitchen freezer he was pretty glad the little pyromaniac had done it. Britta ate almost half a jar of applesauce instead, steadfastly sticking to her vegetarianism even in the grim face of Paintball Armageddon. The cafeteria was cold, and dark, and looked as if a tornado had torn through it, and as the five remaining members of Team Study Group sat around the flickering warmth of what was probably a burning barrel of cooking grease and dishrags, they contemplated their state of affairs.

Shirley spoke first, her voice quiet but curious, "What're you guys going to do if you win priority registration?"

"I'll make my schedule airtight. Maybe get out of here in three years instead of four," Jeff said. He thought longingly of being finished with Greendale one year earlier than planned, of returning to his life as a respected and incredibly well-paid lawyer.

He listened, but didn't really pay attention, as the others answered the question in turn. Britta wanted a semester of stress-free classes. Shirley wanted to spend time with her kids. Abed seemed to be in the game for the thrill of the game, more than the prize, as his answer was vague. Then it was Annie's turn, and it was just a stretch of silence.

Jeff's eyes flicked over to Annie. She was staring unfocusedly at a point just past his shoulder. The firelight flickered in her eyes in an unsettling way. Even lost in some kind of daydream, Annie looked a little manic, a little like a spinning top moments from release into whirling chaos. Jeff suddenly remembered a story of a girl who went insane with schoolwork and success and popped too many pills to keep it all straight, who ended up running through a window screaming about robots and landed herself in rehab. Who almost lost her bright future because of stress and overwork, and here she was with the Holy Grail of class schedules at her fingertips, the ability to load herself up with as many classes as she possibly could in as short a time period as she possibly could. It was worse than handing her the keys to a pharmacy full of performance pills.

Jeff thought about the pleasant, if somewhat high-strung Annie he'd grown to know and appreciate (and care for, a lot, a little voice in the back of his mind added) over the last months, and he suddenly knew it.

He knew what he had to do.

He had to make sure, above all else, that Annie did not win.

Suddenly realizing that the group's eyes were on her, Annie broke from her reverie and smiled a smile that wasn't quite convincing. She was about to answer, when they heard the cry:

_"Study groooup. Come out and plaaay-aaaaay!"_

Before any of them could properly react, the cafeteria was full of miserably anachronistic and stylistically out of touch rollerskaters. With paintball guns. And excellent aim.

Jeff figured out quickly that rollerskates seemed less stupid when they made a moving target that much harder to hit, and that much faster in the attack. He could only devote his attention to reacting and shooting, so he didn't take notice of the other members of the group as they tried to do the same. He didn't notice Shirley as she bravely shot down skater after skater, before finally falling to a shot from behind. He didn't notice as Britta took down the skater that had gotten Shirley, and another after that, before getting shot in the shoulder. So much was going on around him as Jeff fought to stay in the battle that he failed to notice the skater coming up from his left until he was already there, aiming, readying to fire and then—

Falling back, to reveal Annie standing behind him, her bright pink gun still leveled at where her fallen target had once been.

After getting hit and hit hard, the roller-gang started to flee. Annie's face lit up with a bright grin in light of their victory, and Jeff answered it with a small smile of his own.

Jeff turned to watch as Abed ran after the retreating skaters. There was heavy fire, and Jeff was about to go in after Abed for backup when the younger man returned, seemingly unharmed.

"The last guy almost got me." The others looked pointedly at Abed's feet, where red and blue paint splotches marked his pants. Abed followed their gaze, then looked back up again. "My legs," he whispered.

It was then that Jeff noticed the casualties of the Roller-Disco Battle. Britta, Shirley, and Abed were all out. He was left with Annie. The one he couldn't allow to win. It seemed that Britta was at least partially correct – Jeff would eventually have to shoot Annie in order to secure his own win. But, as Jeff watched a smiling Annie wave good-bye to the retreating forms of Shirley and Abed, he wondered how he could possibly do it.

"You're telling me it's just luck that this happened?" Britta whispered from Jeff's right.

He sighed. It was luck, but it wasn't the good kind.

But, "Yes," he replied. Britta gave him one last withering look before following after Abed and Shirley. She stopped to give Annie a quick hug, whispering something to her that made Annie nod and do a strange salute. The three downed members of the team faded into the distance, and it was just Annie and Jeff left in the cafeteria.

Annie walked up to him, all business all of a sudden. Her eyed flicked downward (was she looking at his-)

"Oh my god, Jeff, you're hit!" Annie pointed and Jeff looked at his hip, where a spot of red stained his shirt.

"What?" Jeff's heart sank. If he was out of the game, it'd be impossible for him to make sure Annie didn't win. He couldn't protect her, couldn't save her from herself. He could only hope that whoever was left would take her out, and he didn't even _know_ if others were left. What if Annie had just won? What havoc would priority registration wreak on this girl with impulse control issues and –

Jeff touched the spot of red and felt a sting from the wound beneath it, realization dawning. He sighed in relief.

"It's blood!" he laughed. "I thought it was paint, but I'm just bleeding! Talk about luck, huh?"

Annie's eyes, if even possible, widened further. She rushed over to inspect Jeff's battle wound, and as much as Jeff assured her that he was fine she wouldn't let up.

"It could get infected! You could lose… lose…"

"What, my _torso_?"

"Yes! Or your life! Jeff, we have to get this dealt with." She grabbed his hand and started to drag him to the exit.

"Where are we going?" Jeff, admittedly, whined.

Annie didn't stop or even turn around as she spoke. "The study room. I have a first aid kit hidden in the bookshelf."

* * *

"_Why_ do you have a first aid kit hidden in the bookshelf?" Jeff asked. Annie motioned for him to sit on the table as she shuffled some books around in the corner. She walked up to him, a thin, white, plastic case with a bright red cross on the cover clutched in her hands.

"You should always be prepared, Jeff," Annie said tersely. She opened the case and inspected the contents, then moved to inspect the wound itself.

Jeff kind of panicked as Annie, with all the calm clinical detachment of a nurse, lifted his shirt and lowered the waistband of his pants. "Annie, I really don't think –"

"I have to be thorough, Jeff." Annie reached into the first aid kit and removed a small spray bottle.

"Okay, first I have to disinfect the wound." She uncapped the bottle, and met Jeff's eyes. "This might –" She sprayed the gash and Jeff gave a slightly un-heroic gasp of pain – "sting a little."

"Yeah, try a _lot_, Nurse Edison."

Rolling her eyes, Annie took out a tube of something or other and unscrewed the cap. "Now, this will help it heal properly and diminish the appearance of a scar."

Jeff lifted an eyebrow. "What if I want a scar? What if I want to appear rugged and tough for the ladies?"

Annie smiled. "I don't think a scar from a game of paintball is very impressive, Jeff."

She applied the ointment and picked up another item from the first aid kit. "Now to bandage the wound!"

"Why do you sound so excited about that?"

Unwrapping the large bandage, Annie blushed a bit. She admitted to being a little over-eager to use the knowledge she gained from a few standard first aid classes a couple years ago. She pressed the bandage to the cut in Jeff's side and gave it an extra swipe with her hand in order to secure it. Jeff watched as Annie put the ointment and spray back in their proper places in the first aid kit before snapping it shut. She balled up the wrapper for the bandage up and, no trash can in sight, stuffed it in the pocket of her dress instead of just throwing it on the floor of the already-trashed study room. Jeff smiled.

Confused, Annie smiled back. "What?"

"Well, Nurse Edison, I thank you for tending to my wounds. You've done everything except kiss it better."

Annie's smile turned into a grin and she leaned down to press her lips quickly against the white bandage just above Jeff's hip. Just above his…

Oh, man, oh man, oh man, oh, man.

It seemed to dawn slowly on Annie what she'd just done, as her face turned from pink to pinker to red to full-on tomato red. Jeff, meanwhile, had lost the ability to take full breaths. And blink.

"I'm so sorry," Annie said. "I mean, I'm… I'm not, I'm not… Um… I'm _so sorry_. That was… that was—"

Jeff shook himself out of his own system meltdown in order to stop Annie from entering hers. He leaned forward, swinging his legs over to sit on the edge of the table next to the freaked-out young woman. He went to place a hand on her shoulder, thought better of it, and set both his hands on the table instead.

"Annie, it's fine. You're going to hyperventilate."

Her head whipped around fast, "It's not alright! It's—"

They were very, very close now. Jeff could feel her breath, coming out in short huffs against his face. He'd stopped breathing again, his mind on other things. Like Annie. And Annie lips. Which were very close to Jeff's lips. And Annie eyes. Which flicked from Jeff's eyes to Jeff's lips. Annie had very, very nice eyes, Jeff had always thought. She had nice other things, too. Like lips. Which were getting closer, and closer, and Jeff wasn't exactly sure which one of them was moving and which was staying still, or if they were both moving or what, but he did know that neither of them was moving _away_. And wasn't that what really mattered?

The kiss, which evolved quickly into something much more, was never hesitant, despite Annie's constant radiating blush and a brief period at the beginning where she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands. There was something in the air of the study room, of the school in general, that made the two fall into each other like a couple of dams bursting, and of course Jeff knew that he should be worrying about other things. But, in the moment, all he could think about was succumbing to the strange atmosphere the paintball tournament had created at Greendale Community College.

Then Annie started to tug at Jeff's shirt and he realized where he was and who he was with. Annie, Annie, Annie. Young, bright, Disney-Princess-eyed Annie. The Annie that was a ticking time-bomb of self destruction should she win this tournament. The Annie that Jeff had to take down later. Could he actually have sex with Annie in the study room, and then turn around and shoot her with a paintball gun?

"I can't," Jeff muttered against Annie's lips. Annie paused for a moment, then jumped back as if stung. Jeff straightened his shirt and looked carefully at her. She shuffled awkwardly, trying to smile and shrug carelessly while looking absolutely broken.

"Oh, I," she took a deep breath. "I understand, I guess, I mean… You're, you know, _you_ and I'm me and… I can see how…"

Jeff stood to face Annie, who refused to look him in the eyes. Instead she looked at the floor, or her own hands, or to the side. Jeff inhaled slowly, and exhaled, before pulling his paint gun from his belt and pointing it Annie's chest.

"I can't, because of this, Annie."

How it was possible for Annie to look more heartbroken, Jeff didn't know. He probably should've approached this more carefully.

"Look, I can't let you win this tournament. I knew that from the start. I can't…"

"Have sex with me."

"…Yeah. Not when I know I have to turn around and eliminate you from the competition."

She finally looked up, crossing her arms. "Why do you have to eliminate me from the competition? You really want to win that badly?"

"It's for your own good, Annie. We both know you would overload yourself with classes. And we both know what happened to an overworked Annie."

Annie shuffled guiltily. "You don't know what I was going to do with the prize! You're just making assumptions!"

Jeff sighed. He looked at Annie challengingly. "So, what were you going to do with priority registration then, Annie Edison?"

A bit more shuffling and Annie started playing with the hem of her skirt. "I was… going to… take a few extra classes. And… some four-credit ones. And… Hey! You were the one who wanted to double up his schedule in order to graduate early. How is that any different?"

"It's _different_ because I would've chosen classes like _Theory of Mathematic Theories 101_ while you would've chosen a class on… I don't know, nuclear physics or something."

"They don't have a class on nuclear physics. I checked."

"Annie!"

Annie rolled her eyes. "Jeff!"

"See, this is why I'm pointing a gun loaded with paint at you. I'm saving you from yourself. You're addicted to knowledge, Annie, and it isn't right."

"I am not addicted to knowledge!"

Jeff held the gun a little higher, his finger on the trigger. "I don't believe you."

In a movement that would've made any action star proud, Annie grabbed Jeff's gun and twisted it from his hand in a matter of seconds. She pointed it at Jeff's face, glaring at him down the sight.

Jeff held up his hands. "That doesn't prove anything!" he shouted.

Annie took a steadying breath. Her face softened and Jeff was about to make a lunge for the weapon when she turned it away from him, and toward herself.

Eyes wide, Jeff reached out to her, "Annie, don't!" he called, but it was too late. She squeezed the trigger and the red ball of paint splattered against her chest. She winced when the ball struck, dropping the gun and falling to the floor, clutching the center of her chest where the paintball had hit.

"Annie!"

Jeff rushed to her side, clutching her shoulders and holding her against himself.

Annie's eyes were shut. "Jeff," she whispered. Jeff leaned in closer to hear her soft words, goosebumps crawling across his skin as her breath tickled his ear and neck.

"Jeff," she repeated.

"Annie, I'm here. What is it? Annie? Oh, why did you do that to yourself, Annie?"

She took a large breath. Her eyes fluttered open just a bit and she touched her non-painted hand against his cheek.

"Jeff… it's just classes. I'll be fine." Annie's eyes opened fully and she looked down at her chest. She started to untie her vest, inspecting the damage done to her clothes, and sat up.

"Oh," Jeff said. He stood, and offered her a hand to help her stand too. "Well, I guess that's that, then… Uh…"

Annie unbuttoned the top button of her dress to see a round, red welt already formed on her chest where the paintball had struck.

Flinching, Annie sniffled a bit. "Those things _really_ hurt."

Annie was covered in red paint and one less article of clothing. She was out of the game, and Jeff hadn't needed to sacrifice her for her own good. And he didn't need to feel _guilty_ about sacrificing her for her own good, either. Jeff grinned a grin that was laced with implications.

"You want me to kiss it better for you?" he asked with mock innocence.

Annie looked up at him and, smiling with equal deviousness, held her collar open. "Of course, Nurse Winger," she said.

"_Victorious_ Nurse Winger," Jeff corrected.

"Oh, yeah." She kissed him once. "Definitely victorious." She kissed him again. "I am so miserably disappointed that I didn't win." She laughed, and kissed him a third time as he maneuvered her to the study table.

Jeff _had_ noticed the red paint that had rubbed off on his shirt from when he'd held Annie.

But victory is in the eye of the beholder.


End file.
